Time
by Imsecretlyawriter
Summary: The four years that made Mai become the lonesome person she is, has begun to affect her. With SPR gone, she has become sick of the alienation ever since. On a stormy night, she finds herself enjoying the rain. But little did Mai know what lies beyond the darkness that seeks her out - and who is there to save her when the time comes is sure to bring a shock to all of them.
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own ghost hunt. First fanfiction ever... Forgive me if there's errors, I wrote this on an IPad.. Hope you enjoy_.

* * *

 **Chapter 1:** Sometimes it's the storm that keeps me awake at night. Sometimes it's you.

 **Mai POV**

Mai touched her cold fingertips to the window covered in raindrops. She watched as the condensation fogged up the glass, observing how even from inside, the young girl was dealing with her own cataclysm.

Just prior to the storm that beat down on the rooftop of her apartment, she'd been reading outside. Reading had been the 19 year olds new obsession for a long time. Though she'd never admit why, it was all because of the raven haired man. How his cold stare left her bones shaking before he left. How she wanted to have more of those cold stares look at her.

The torrential downpour was the only thing that could gather a plethora of syllables to explain how she felt. Words were never enough to tell the people around her why she spent most of her days inside. Sometimes Mai would purposely turn down the heat so she'd have an excuse to curl up on her bed and never see light for the rest of the day.

But she was getting better. After four years of SPR leaving, she was expected to figure her life out for her own. Friends began to leave because Mai would cancel plans.

She would say she was busy with working at the library.

Or she would say she was ill.

Both were lies. Perhaps the last one wasn't as much. Mai was ill in a way. A way in her brain which in fact – wouldn't allow her heart to be happy.

It wasn't like she didn't like her friends. Just the anxiety got to her sometimes. Seeing people laugh around her began to annoy Mai. So she blocked out everyone.

But working at the library was her safe haven. A personal sort of purgatory. There was nothing terrible about it – yet there was nothing extraordinary neither. Mai lost herself in literature. The way the beautiful words formed in her mouth was her muse.

Mai forgot about her life when she read a story. She forgot about how everyone left her.

Her parents and SPR.

The only people she's ever cared about.

And they were gone. And Mai didn't know why.

But that wasn't the only thing Mai was missing. She was missing the rush she felt of ghost hunting. She missed the dangerous escapades throughout their cases and missions to fight off paranormal activity. But she also missed the sort of… tranquility she felt when the spirit and or ghost, would be released.

Mai missed a lot of things about her old life. She just had a hard time accepting she was abandoned.

Sighing, the young girl rose from her seat by the window. She popped into the kitchen to grab a mug to fill it with tea.

She plopped in honey drops and took a whiff of it. It smelled like Naru so much.

And Mai knew it was a bad idea to have his favorite kind of tea just before heading to bed. But she couldn't much help it. It reminded her of heart ache – but it also got her a chance to reminisce about the happy times.

It also got her to dream a lot. A day where they would finally come knocking on her door.

But Mai didn't know whether her heart could take it. In a way, she was sort of sick. Time has done nothing but damage her walls. Her once crystalline, cinnamon eyes have become decrepit and worn. The ivy that began to crawl up her skinny arms and legs have prevented her to move. Her foundation started rotting.

She was a house that's on the verge of crumbling into ashes. And it was all because of them. Because Mai was living in a dream. A dream where she would hear their knock on her door – where they awaited with smiling faces.

Mai laughed at the thought. _As if that would happen._

So the 19 year old cupped her hot mug tight and headed into her bedroom. She read a few chapters of a book she borrowed from the library. She wasn't really supposed to take books without checking them out herself first..

 _Not like anybody will notice anyway,_ Mai thought, getting comfortable on her bed.

 _When the clock struck 2:30 a.m, that's when the lights went out._

Mai could have spilled her tea all over her book if she hadn't reminded herself right away it was probably because of the storm.

Mai felt around for the night stand and set her cup down. She grabbed her curtains and swung them open. Even the street lights outside had been out.

The only source of light she had was a candle and the millisecond lightning that came every minute.

Mai huffed in irritation. She never liked the dark when she couldn't control it.

But she couldn't quite do anything about it, so she just curled back into her bed and decided it was time to fall asleep.

Her eyelids only had enough time to rest until it hit 3:00 on her phone.

That was when Mai heard the knocking.

Tap..tap.. Tap.

The girl barely shifted as she heard the knocking in her mid sleep.

Tap..tap.. Tap.

This time, she groaned and let her limbs stretch. Mai sighed through her nose – still half asleep and still non-coherent.

Tap.. Tap.. Tap.

The third knock is what finally drove Mai out of bed.

"Yeah yeah!" She complained, scratching her head as she headed to the door. "I'm coming I'm coming!"

But just she reached the door, she checked her phone for the time.

 _It read 3:30 a.m… So who the heck would be here at 3 in the morning?_

Mai looked up from her phone and stared at the door.

"W-who is it?"

When Mai received no answer, she convinced herself she must have been hearing things. But just as she turned away, it happened again.

Tap.. Tap.. Tap.

Mai's nerves were racing. She flashed around in a heart beat and continued to stare at her front door.

Tap.. Tap.. Tap.

"I said who the hell is it?!" Mai commanded, angry that someone at this hour had her so unsettled. "Answer me or go away!"

Tap.. Tap.. Tap.

Mai had enough after the billionth knock. She felt for the doorknob and swung it open, ready to face who the hell was on the other side of the door.

But the thing was;

Nobody was there.

Mai's fingers twitched as she stared at the darkness beyond her door. The hallway in front of the girl was seemingly empty.

So she inched herself out of her doorway and in attempts of searching for who might have been there, she used her cellphone as a guide. But as Mai walked farther from her apartment room, the more she felt an odd familiar sense.

As if somebody was watching her.

She could feel the hair rising on her neck. Goosebumps covered her arms. Beneath her chest, she felt her heart beat faster with every second.

As Mai took another step – she felt something this time.

She felt hot on her neck. Somebody.. Was breathing heavily in her ear.

The girl turned around, squinting as she tried to make out just who had been there.

But the hallway was the same as before. Empty.

She had enough of this. Mai quickly made it back to her door and locked it behind her. She never noticed her hands were shaking until she switched the three locks into place.

It wasn't the first time something like this had happened to the young woman. It was a stormy night like this one – where the rainwater drained into the gutters consistently for hours. The unyielding lightning struck the sky repeatedly. The thunder had beat on Mai's ear drums just like tonight.

Before when this happened, she was outside. She was walking home from the library when she felt the same eyes on her. How they bore into her. How they never stopped looking her way.

She got into her apartment quickly, and forgotten about it the rest of the day.

But now, she was inside her apartment.

 _But she still felt the same eyes on her._

Mai squinted her eyes against the darkness. She could only feel her heart beating beneath her ribs as she felt her way back to her room.

She locked her door behind her and carefully made her way back into her bed.

As the night dragged on, the storm grew quieter. But the Lightning flashed endlessly across the black sky. The clouds lit up every time Mai heard the thunder roll across the hills. She was curled up comfortably in her blankets, trying to ignore the nagging feeling of that certain presence.

Although the time came where she could no longer stay awake.

Sleep was upon her within little time. But as Mai slipped into a peaceful slumber, her consciousness gave way. She felt herself slowly unthreading and breaking apart from reality. She convinced herself that nothing else mattered but sinking into her bed and sleeping for the rest of the night.

 _That was of course, until she felt a hand cover her mouth._


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own ghost hunt.**

 **Hey another update! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _Chapter 2: The pair of stars._

 **Mai POV**

The night bled into Mai's bedroom when she awoke an hour later, drenched in her own sweat. The peeking moonlight cast a halo around her brunette hair, shifting her pale skin with blue highlights. Everything seemed normal. Everything looked normal. But the air was too cold – too frigid. The rain continued to pour down as Mai began to recall the memories.

Her body shook with fear as she remembered the silhouette of a man above her. How he clamped a hand over her mouth. How that wet rag had that strange scent… how that intruder had somehow knocked her unconscious..

Suddenly, the girl tries to spring from her bed, shocked by the fear that courses through her veins. But she fails when she's held down by a thin rope tied around both her ankles and wrists. Mai curses clumsily, attempting to slip her hands from the rope. But it's useless. The more she tried to drag the rope above her wrists, it would burn and turn tender.

But she had to get out of here. For all she knew, the robber could still be in here – he could still be in the next room – doing God knows what.

She couldn't even risk calling the cops from her cellphone. The robber could hear her.

Mai stifled a cry by biting her lip. She couldn't make a sound if she wanted to get out of here alive. So the 19 year old bit down harder and attempted to even out her breathing.

 _Be calm, Mai_ , she told herself. _Everything will be okay. Look for scissors. That's your first priority._

After a few moments of gathering up the little courage she had, she slipped her legs off her bed and began to crawl in the darkness. She slid like a worm until she hit her desk, climbing her way up so she was in a standing position. She turned around and fumbled through the drawers until she eventually found her sharp object.

She snatched the pair of scissors and cut her way through the thin rope on her wrists. Next was her ankles – and within minutes – she was set free.

Mai couldn't help but think how sloppy of a job the intruder did. He didn't even bother to duct tape her mouth for that matter.

He must have been sure she was knocked unconscious.

Mai tiptoed through the darkness, her hair a crazy mess on her head. Tears pressed the back of her eyes, threatening to fall. But she blinked them back. She was not ready to give up. All she had to do was get to the front door and run. Just run.

Lightning flashed across the apartments floors, allowing her to see a second worth of her own room. It was enough time to let her know that nobody else was by her. It was a good sign.

Mai grasped the scissors in her hands and began taking soft steps, sidestepping the knowing creeks in her floorboards to prevent any suspicion that she was indeed – conscious.

Her breath quickened with every step as she peered around the corner. She waited long minutes to wait for the Lightning to guarantee a clear path. And when it did, she felt acid climb up her throat out of fear. Who awaits her beyond the hallway and into the living room was either somebody ready to kill her – or nobody at all. But with every whispering step, she felt it again.

The odd sensation of eyes upon her back.

She shook it off quickly, knowing nobody had passed her at all. No one was seen from where she was standing at all.

Mai continued her tip toes until she finally came to a corner where she peered around and caught sight of the living room. Mai was thankful for the power outage at that moment – because the man in the ski mask would have seen her by then.

The man cloaked in black was fumbling with her TV – noisily for that matter. The silhouette Mai had seen before suddenly became clearer. He wasn't tall and or intimidating. He was small and feeble. A good part on Mai's side.

But slipping past him and to the front door was nearly impossible. If he was planning to take all of her belongings and get away with it? He was in for another story.

 _Wait – what is wrong with me? Just let him get away! I'll be safer that way!_

It was like her mind was battling with her heart. But she couldn't shake that morbid thought out of her mind. The scissors in her hand suddenly felt very powerful – as if her hand itself was sending electrical currents up and down her arm and through the cold metal. Mai felt different. She felt alive. But she also felt sick.

She saw herself slashing his throat. His blood nearly a puddle that she would sidestep below her feet.

Mai shut her eyes against her own mind.

 _What the hell are you thinking! Just sneak_ _out of here and let him go!_

But Mai couldn't do that. She felt powerful. Anger surged through her limbs. She was one with the Lightning that flashed outside her windows. The thunder in her bones ached for the excitement of tearing the robber apart.

She heard a whisper in her ear as she inched towards the man.

 _Kill him, Mai. Kill him_.

She didn't understand who was murmuring these thoughts to her, but she found herself obeying. She crawled behind the couch with unbelievable flexibility. She was a cat – as if she inherited the abilities from the feline itself. Though these were definitely not her movements.

 _This was definitely not Mai._

Mai cocked her head as she eyed the man from the floor. She watched him grab her TV and yank the cords from the sockets. He set it down and dusted off his hands – as if he'd never done this sort of thing before.

Mai felt the scissors in her hands. She held them tightly, and then in a matter of seconds – she was on him.

They both screamed as they landed in a heap on the floor. The man scrambled to get her off of him, but Mai was unyielding. She sat on top of him, digging her thumbs into his eye sockets.

The man screamed louder. Until eventually – his hands were wrapped around her throat as well, and weakened her grip on him. But before Mai was thrown away by the robber, she slipped her fingers under his mask and revealed the intruder.

Mai was right. It was a man. But it wasn't just an ordinary man. He was an old man.

For a second – time was frozen. Mai could see the truth behind the mans cold wintery eyes. They were worn. Broken. Beaten. And red from what she just tried to do earlier.

Mai never had the power that her beloved boss had – to see history when she touched an object. But she could practically see his whole story by looking into his blue eyes. The gray hair that lay in a heap on his head told enough. His life had been hard. The economy beat down on his cold body. The loss of life and the loss of family were practically scars sketching his face that took the form of wrinkles. Innocence poured into his eyes and into his soul like water. His were warm. Kind.

He proved that kindness by not harming the 19 year old when he planned to rob her apartment. He was the kind of man that wouldn't do things like this. It was a last resort in order to survive.

Mai's eyes widened with shock. That feeling of electricity ran out of her body. She was back to her old self.

But the man didn't know that.

The robber struck her hard across the face and she landed hard on her back beside him. The scissors flew willingly from her hand.

Mai was confused. She didn't know what was happening until the old man was on top of her – hands clamped around her throat.

She dug her nails into his calloused hands, but the determination written on his face never prevailed.

The girl felt herself failing. The air she tried desperately to grasp was inches away. But she couldn't. Tears raked down her face and clogged her senses. Her eyes were blank – unseeing. Black dots scattered her vision and sent her drowning into nothingness.

Mai was on the verge of unconsciousness until the man suddenly lessened his grip. A thin airway was sent down her throat.

But the elderly man wasn't looking at her. He was looking above her.

And suddenly, the determination disappeared. What replaced it, was rather simple.

 _Fear_.

He scrambled off of Mai and fumbled for the scissors that were lain across the floor. Though Mai was too busy gasping for breath, she never had the time to see who he was looking at.

 _Who he was so damn afraid of._

But after the dizziness passed, she finally noticed what the robber was doing. He was clutching the scissors in his hands and held them out towards Mai. But it wasn't directed towards her.

Mai slowly turned around, finally seeing what he was seeing.

It was a girl. A girl she never recognized before. She wasn't a normal girl – per say. Her limbs were too long for a human, but the pale skin that hung around her bones was the only thing that differed her from a spider and a human. Her black hair had grown so long that it lay at a heap on the floor as she crawled – bones cracking from disuse.

The robber screamed, his hands clutching the scissors as if it was the only thing that meant life or death. But Mai sat still. Shocked to move even an inch.

Then she felt it. Her eyes land on Mai.

The same feeling she felt in the hallway. That nagging she felt... It was her.

The girls eyes were a brilliant green that had a pale brisk to their texture. It was shocking to see such a horrid body but such beautiful eyes. The realization came crashing down on Mai like waves.

 _This..was a ghost._

 _The hunger she felt for blood earlier was this woman. She had temporarily possessed wasn't going crazy. She wasn't a psychopathic killer who sought blood. It was the girl she was staring at._

Mai had been lost in her thoughts so much that she never realized the woman's face was inches from hers. Her teeth were rotted. Cheekbones and her white jawline jutted out from her flesh. She could even smell her rancid breath.

And then, the spider-like girl lifted her hands to Mai's shoulders, enabling her to move anywhere. Her jagged fingernails dug into Mai's collarbone so much, that she couldn't hold back the scream. She felt herself losing consciousness as the girl kept burying her nails into her shoulders. She was burrowing herself inside Mai like an animal.

As if Mai had a home that was up for sale.

And just like that – the spider girl was gone. All was left was Mai and the robber.

 _But Mai wasn't Mai anymore._

Her head cocked sideways. An inhuman crack came from all of her joints. Her fingers stretched and curled, as if the woman possessing her was so unfamiliar feeling normal limbs.

And she felt the power again. There was no longer a normal girl inside Mai's brain. It was the spider.

She flashed around to the robber who had been sobbing this whole time. Mai licked her lips, staring at the scissors in his hands. She crawled over to him with ease, yanking the weapon away from his grasp.

She opened them up, scraping her thumb across the sharp inside of the pair, as if testing its durability.

And then, the next thing they knew, the metal was inside his flesh. Between his ribs was the jagged pair of scissors lodged deep in his skin. Blood gushed from his chest.

It wasn't long until his pulse stopped throbbing.

The robber was dead.

And so was the girl in Mai's head. For now.

All was left was the normal Mai, back to herself within seconds of the stabbing. Her cinnamon eyes blinked a few times, regaining full consciousness. Eventually, the dizziness faded away.

The fuzzy black that dotted her eyes cleared.

The only thing the 19 year old look at, is herself sitting in a puddle of red. And that's all Mai could see.

 _Red._

 _Red._

 _Red._

 _Everywhere._

Her hands shook ravenously. Her fingers stuck to everything. Everything was sticky with red. _Red. Red. Red. Red._

When Mai looked up at the lifeless man beside her, that's when she let out the blood curdling scream.

She couldn't pay attention to the tears running down her face like cascades. She couldn't pay attention to how much she was sobbing. All Mai could process was the word run. _Run_ , she told herself. And so she did.

She ran out and down the stairs of the apartment building. Rain eventually hit the girls head and made a river of blood down her soaked skin. She tried not to pay attention to how she left crimson footprints in her path as she trudged on. Her knees felt weak with fatigue. She was so tired. But the fear of that girl – of the red all over her body made her run. Mai didn't know she was screaming until she eventually came to a dead end next to a corner store.

She sobbed endlessly. They were shaky. Desperate. Animal-like. Something she could never imagine coming from her mouth.

The sound of thunder knocked her off her feet and landed her in a puddle of mud. She was grateful for the brown color. She didn't like seeing red.

Suddenly, she remembered something.

Mai fumbled around in her sweatshirt pocket and then her pants pocket.

She can't believe she forgot. She slipped her crappy cellphone from her pocket and searched through her contacts.

 _This was a really bad time to not have any friends._

She searched ravenously for someone – something. She couldn't call the cops. She just murdered someone.

And then, just like that, she hit the letter "N" in her contacts.

 _Naru_.

She pressed the button, knowing even if he hated Mai, he would help her at a time like this. If he was in Japan – he would surely-

"Hello?" A male voice said. It was odd hearing it after so long. But Mai couldn't quite care in that moment.

Mai started to cry in response.

"Mai?" He asked, a bit shaken by her sobs. "Where the hell are you? What's happened?"

Mai sobbed more. "I-I'm at the c-corner s-store-e by my apartment-t."

And that's the only thing she said before she snapped her phone shut. She took the time to cry more into the mud, surrounding herself with the awful stench.

The rain that curled itself around Mai's body lessened. She found herself longing for a long bath where she would scrub and scrub until every layer of grime was off her body. Mai could still feel her shoulders ache where the girl dug her nails into.

But that no longer mattered. Sleep was upon her. Mai drifted off, her swollen eyes gazed up at the pale moon above. She thought about the stars. The constellations. Galaxies. It wasn't long until she saw a particular set of stars looking back at her.

They were sapphires. Beautiful – bluish purple that were deep and cold. Yet they were too dull against the town. Mai figured they'd forever be hidden behind the bright lights of sleepless cities. She found comfort in them as they carried her away from her ruin in the street and brought her to safety.

And then all at once, nothing was all she saw.

* * *

 _ **Let me know what you think? C: Thank you for the reviews favs and follows!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Like any other person on this website, I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters. I am responsible to any additional ones I might add in the future.**

 _Just a heads up, it's a short chapter but I thought it best to have one of those fillers just for now._

 _Review?_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 3: Reunited

 **Oliver POV**

The soft ticking of a clock was the only noise heard within Oliver Davis's apartment.

The noise kept him preoccupied while he read a book containing everything paranormal lie in his hand.

The quiet sunk him in like sand. His steady shoulders were trained to be calm. Collected. Reserved. All the things his father was. Everything Eugene was not.

The four years in which his former assistant had been long gone, he had grown quite a large amount of knowledge about his PK and psychometric abilities. He was still not able to use it as often as he would like, but he learned to control it like some cliché samurai learned that their sword was the extension of their arm. Oliver's powers were similar.

Though his knowledge about the paranormal wasn't the only thing that expanded. His mind became more assertive. He liked to express his opinion without having the burden of guilt or embarrassment.

Oliver somehow became more ruthless. Still prideful – of course. Though with his lack of expressing emotion, he had a hard time feeling them inside. He felt empty. A part of his brain that felt sadness or remorse was numbed to the point where he had fault in its existence.

So here he was, sitting quietly in his apartment with a small lampshade by his desk, reading something he had already read. Though he supposed the lamp was unnecessary. The moon was bright enough.

And that's where he got his silly nickname from his partner in crime, Lin. The name Noll occasionally turns to "owl" due to Oliver's habit of reading under the moonlight instead of sunlight.

The fool was getting older and the more reserved Lin tried to be, everyone took it as a joke and their laughs pierced Oliver's ears.

 _He hated hearing laughter._

He wasn't always like this. So many years ago when he had an assistant that made his brain ache, yet made his heart tick a beat faster – he liked hearing it. Especially hers. It was annoying – yes. But it was pure joy. Pure happiness. Nothing fake.

Oliver stopped his reading and took his gaze outside.

He was beginning to feel something again, although. Ever since… Ever since he picked unconscious Mai up from the street… Something in his heart started working again..

He hated it. He was thinking about her too much. He hated the fact that every time he tried to read his brain always found room for her.

And here he was again. Doing the same thing.

He sighed, looking at the clock. Only 12 a.m. Not bad. Usually he'd stay up till the sun rose. Though he wished he could somehow fall into a deep slumber. Maybe for a day. Or 10 years. Which ever. Anything to get his mind off of her.

Oliver glanced at the door, wondering if she was going to wake up soon.

The timing was… _ridiculous_.

The sudden shrill of a scream erupted through the apartments halls and Oliver flew from his spot, tearing down the hallway and into his bedroom where she lay.

The sight would have been heartbreaking if Oliver could feel heartbreak.

Mai thrashed in her bed while tears as slick as the sheets ran down her face. Her eyes were shut tight when Oliver rushed to her side and began shaking her shoulders furiously.

"Mai!" He commanded, gripping her shoulders tighter. "Mai wake up!"

Another second of Oliver's rough voice shook her out of her sleep and she mumbled soft, slow whimpers.

The words she mumbled were incoherent to Oliver's ears, but soon enough – she slowly fluttered her eyes open to him.

They were blurry. Not to mention _dark_ , since the lack of light. But she managed to squeak one word out.

"…Eugene?"

A thud in his chest made him let go of her. Or maybe it was a squeeze in his chest? Something that had hurt an exceptional amount made him want to back into the corner and… _cry_?

 _No no – Oliver Davis does not cry. And certainly does not cry in a corner._

He found himself backing away anyway, but that was before Mai threw her arms around his neck and practically tipped him over.

"Y-You have no idea how much I've missed you!" She sobbed into the crook of his neck. "Your stupid brother left me and I-I haven't been able to see anyone! Gene I've been so lonely!"

A twitch in his jaw muscle was seen, though somehow hadn't found the courage to rip away.

After a moment of quiet, he spoke.

"You have the wrong brother, _Mai_." He said through clenched teeth.

And that's when Mai froze and shoved him away. She looked at him through surprised, wide eyes.

Those eyes suddenly hardened into hatred and her hand quickly met his cheek.

Mai slapped him hard across the face. It was hard enough that he almost fell of the bed himself, but managed to keep himself composed.

Other than the burning in his left cheek, his mouth slightly inched open and looked at the girl with wide eyes.

Silence wrung in his ears.

 _Did she just slap the famous Oliver Davis?_

There was another moment of silence while he stared at her through curious eyes.

Mai looked furious. Or rather – she tried to be. Her arched eyebrows softened and her frown couldn't be helped when her lips twitched into a huge grin.

She began laughing like a mad woman.

Oliver continued to stare.

 _Was he to send her to a mental institute?_

The brunettes shoulders shook as she laughed hysterically to herself, covering her mouth with a hand. Tears still ran down her face and Oliver still couldn't determine whether she was happy or sad. _Or completely insane._

Mai wiped the final giddy, tears from her eyes and she looked at him with a huge open smile.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to do that," she giggled.

He ran a hand through his hair to get it away from his sweaty forehead, saying nothing. He had nothing really to say. He was speechless.

"...Alright," was all he managed to get out.

An awkward silence hung in between them and Mai started picking at the sheets.

"So you came to wake me up? Why?" She said, though avoiding his face.

He sighed, hoping to forget the incident. "You were having a nightmare."

She rolled her eyes. "I know that, but how did you know I was?"

Oliver's keen eyes studied her face and found that she hadn't actually known.

"You were screaming, Mai."

Her expression morphed into shock and then curiosity. She looked away quickly and stared at the wall, trying to remember.

"My dream… Was about…" she mumbled, more to herself than him. She placed a fist on her forehead and tapped it a couple times. "Ahhh shoot! What the heck was it about?!"

Oliver watched her and then took his gaze outside. There was much he had to inform her about… And there was many questions she needed to answer.

Oliver cleared his throat. "Mai, do you remember much of what happened?"

He turned his head back to the girls face and found it yet again, changed with an expression. This was something he hadn't seen yet on the 19 year old.

Horror.

A look of horror in her dilated pupils let Oliver's question follow through.

"I-I remember!" She gasped, her breaths growing faster.

He grabbed her shoulder. "Remember what, Mai? Of your dream or of what happened before you fell unconscious?"

Mai tossed his hand away and placed her hands on her forehead. "I-I remember… I remember.. I remember..!"

Oliver grasped her chin and forced her to look at him. "Remember what, Mai?" He commanded.

For a moment, only her rapid breaths were heard.

" _E-Everything_."

He nodded and had expected her to be calm. But the girl was the complete opposite. The roll of emotions flooded through her and began to make her breaths abnormally faster than any sane person. Her eyes were wide, shocking, and staring right at him like he was some terrifying monster.

Though she wasn't really looking at him, per say. It was like she was watching a movie reply in her mind and she couldn't really see anything but the probable scarring images in her brain.

Mai was hyperventilating and Oliver placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Mai, breath. Everything is okay. Focus on me."

She couldn't though. "I killed him I killed him – Naru. I killed a human being –"

He stared into her eyes. "It was ruled self defense, Mai. He was robbing your apartment. Everything that you think you know is not true. Everything is going to be fine."

Oliver found himself pulling her in closer. It was awkward, and he hesitated.

But Mai wasn't coherent and he thought it best to calm her racing heart.

He put her in the crook of his neck and gently patted her back as she sobbed tears into his shirt. The whole thing was practically soaking only a minute in and he decided it was best to get rid of the shirt afterwards.

But afterwards would be a long time and he decided later on that maybe it was best to have his assistant be present when Mai is having a meltdown.

Oliver was staring out the window – looking at the rising sun doing its usual routine that usually involved basking the sky in light blues and oranges – when he finally noticed that he had still been awkwardly patting Mai's back when she had already fell asleep.

Her breathing was calm and Oliver was glad for the pressure to be off his shoulder.

He put a blanket on her and gave her one nod as if approving she did a good job.

And then he left.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own ghost hunt, I guess. :c**

 **Thanks for the reviews guys! I appreciate it! (Seriously tho, I like your feedback and you should do it more bc I'm a spoiled rotten kid like that.)**

 **I got this whole fanfic planned out and jeesh, I need to get out more**.

* * *

Chapter 4: Possession.

 **Mai POV**

Mai's wobbly knees barely got her to the bathroom that day. It was that time of year when some weird heat wave decided to cloud Japan and trap everyone in it like an incubator to a baby. Aromas of dandelions crept through cracked windows and the heat soaked her clothes until she couldn't smell the sweet smells anymore, but only herself.

It was like she was in a daze, walking around like a body without a soul. Her eyes were half lidded, her mouth slightly open, and her mind careless.

She didn't even mind the fact that Naru was absent from his own home. Mai remembers taking a nap at some point in time, but there was just too many instances where she woke up and fell back asleep. For all she knew, the last time she fell asleep, it could have been twenty minutes ago. Or even ten years.

The girl didn't bother to find out if he was in his office somewhere in the huge apartment. Or even in the living room. She just didn't care.

Mai found clothes somewhere on the floor that looked like a t-shirt and gym shorts, and she decided it was better than what she was wearing. She drove herself into the bathroom, and turned the faucet blasting.

The teen stripped of everything and dove into the blistering water where the heat calmed her aching muscles.

 _Dear god,_ it was like she had ran a marathon. And the heat was making her drowsy and tired – but oh, she enjoyed it very much so.

She basked in the nauseating heat, thankful for the fatigue, somehow. Mai felt like she was supposed to remember something.

 _Was she?_

 _Oh she didn't know._

 _The heat was just so nice._

 _And everything was just… Calm._

At some point in time, she doused herself in shampoo that smelled of ocean seashells and these peculiar pink soaps that smelled of Camilla flowers.

She smelled like a garden section you would go to at stores. She enjoyed it.

But Mai dunked her head deep below the surface where it was even quieter.

Perhaps it was… _too_ quiet.

The silence often makes a person think. And when Mai started thinking too much, she began to remember things.

The girl surfaced and quickly gasped in cold air that led her to cough up a storm.

She shouldn't have started to think.

Because suddenly, everything that happened came clear into view. She remembered the torrential downpour. She remembered the tapping at her door. She remembered blood and gore and awful awful things –

 _She remembered she was a murderer._

Mai rubbed her eyes wearily and unplugged the tub, gathering herself until she came into view of the mirror.

 _How was she going to live with herself?_

She wasn't sure if it was apathy. She wasn't sure if her memories weren't really clear or not, but Mai had this odd sensation in her mind that it wasn't she who did it.

But that couldn't be right… _Could it?_ She was the only person there.

And even if she was to lie to herself, her reflection bore the truth.

There was marks up and down her body. Water color bruises painted her neck and shoulders like an ugly canvas. She was a wreck. A complete mess of a girl.

But that wasn't what caught her attention.

Her eyes were no longer brown.

She distinctly remembers her iris's being an almond color but they were the complete opposite.

…They were…

 _Green_?

It wasn't all green, of course. When Mai took a closer look, she noticed the stormy color was only rimmed around her pupil.

So part of her eyes were brown… And the other part was emerald.

 _Weird_.

It would have been less shocking if they were mixed, but it was as if they were fighting a battle to see which color could conquer the other.

It was complete madness and yet Mai was staring right at it.

She shrugged it off after long while of staring into her own reflection. Mai hoped no one would notice the abnormality and just figure she just got some bizarre contacts. She promised herself she would look online for more information. _Maybe it was her change in appetite that caused it?_

 **~ Naru POV ~**

It was odd to see the 21 year old in such a distressed state. A heat wave soaked his suit as he sat in his office within his apartment. He was picking at the access dirt underneath each fingernail while staring at the wall as if it was his worst enemy.

The blinds were closed. But it still wasn't dark enough. Beams managed to sneak in through the cracks and highlight his pale face.

This whole ordeal with Mai was beginning to infuriate him. He had many conversations with authorities about the incident.

He remembered the smell of coffee and cigarettes permeating from their breaths, saying one simple thing: _Mai had done them a favor._

The man Mai killed was thieving since late January of last year. And to most recent discoveries, he was a convicted sex offender. He attempted three different teenagers twenty years back between the ages of 14 and 18.

As far as Oliver knew, _Mai could have been the next victim._

And for some reason, that made the 21 year old clench his jaw and tighten his fists harder.

 _She should have stabbed him more than once. She should have strangled him until his eyes popped out._

He gripped the bridge of his nose. That was extremely morbid to think of such things. She was making him into a fool, thinking the rotten should deserve more than death. Death was enough.

But Oliver a hard time agreeing with his own advice. Because imagining him doing that to an innocent girl and no less – Mai, made his chest swirl with anger.

It's been a while since he felt something as strongly as this. It's just that Oliver had no patience with vermin like him.

So he decided to gather himself and head out of his office to make himself a cup of tea. Mai was no doubt still sleeping, so he couldn't very well ask her to do the task.

But just as he rounded the corner towards the kitchen, something very slight hit his chest. To be honest, Oliver wouldn't have noticed if the girl hadn't said anything.

"N-Naru! I'm so sorry! I-I wasn't looking where I was going!" She said, jumping a yard back where she grabbed her chest from the shock.

Oliver just gave her a pointed look, and then almost addressed her attire, but decided to remain silent. Mai was wearing his clothes, a t-shirt and gym shorts that she must have absentmindedly grabbed from the floor of his room.

And by the looks of it, she had just taken a shower. She was drowning in his clothes.

Oliver would have thought this amusing if he wasn't desperately wishing for tea.

"Oh yeah! Your going to make some tea right?" She questioned, a slight smile shaping her face that quickly turned witty. "I've already prepared some. You're too predictable, Naru."

 _How had she managed to be so quiet? Was he really that deep into his own thoughts within his office?_

Oliver made a mental note to pay attention more to the girls quiet feet. Snoops are prohibited.

He said nothing and continued to the kitchen where his earl grey sat, swirling in heat and deliciousness.

 _Ahh, Mai's tea. How could he forget it?_

He quietly sat down, grabbing the newspaper as he calmly sipped his tea.

 _Mmmh. Just as he remembered it_.

"Soooo Naru," Mai played, sitting across from him. Oliver had forgotten she was still here.

He payed her no attention and continued reading.

"Any word from the authorities?"

Naru blinked, but kept his eyes on the paper nevertheless. "We already discussed this. They deemed it self defense."

"Yes yes," she said, batting at the air as if the memory of her latching onto him could disappear. "But I meant if they mentioned anything about the man?"

Naru took a sip of his tea. "The man you killed?"

He had said it so bluntly that her words bunched up in one. But she gave up quickly and ended up waiting for him to speak.

"Are you concerned for him?" He questioned.

Her eyes fluttered and she turned her attention to her feet. "W-well yeah. I just wanted to know what kind of person he was."

Mai was doing a poor job of hiding her hurt. Sympathy, however, was something Oliver lacked.

But he couldn't bring himself to mention the little fact of the man being a bad person. No matter how you looked at it, instances like this don't go away with the snap of your fingers. Lessening Mai's guilt won't change the fact of what happened that night was real.

"If I told you what kind of man he was, would that make you sleep better, Mai?" He questioned tactically. "Or maybe you can manage to look at yourself in the mirror again if you knew how much of a terrible man he was?"

His words cut through her skin and it seemed as if he guessed right.

"N-no it's just that I-"

"You what?" He bartered. "Listen to my words of advice Mai, because they don't come very often."

He put his newspaper and tea down on the table, and causally clasped his hands together. Oliver had a knack for giving glares to those he disliked. But this time, he made an exception.

His eyebrows softened.

"Forgive yourself."

Mai's expression turned all kinds of colors of emotions. Anger, hurt and then finally ended impassive with a simple sigh escaping her mouth.

"It's not as easy as you think," she mumbled.

"Of course it's not," Oliver continued, picking his tea back up.

She made him ramble when he didn't even want to. It bothered him more than he would imagined.

But _honestly_ , he just wanted to get over the touchy feely emotions. People who lack to common knowledge to not control their own happiness tends to irritate the young man. They exploited mental illness like it was incurable.

But happiness is just in their reach. It just takes the right person to help them realize it.

Mai was very much persuadable. But there was still this emptiness in her eyes that not even his words could fill.

"Oh Naru! Are you out of tea? I'll make you more!"

She went to swipe his cup, but somehow missed the handle completely and it flew out of her hands, shattering against the cupboards.

He fixed her a glare.

She gasped. "Ah! Naru I'm so sorry! I was just –"

He raised a hand for her to stop.

"But I-

His glare intensified.

She snapped her mouth shut, but nevertheless, tip toed over to the mess she made. Carefully, she gathered glass shards into a palm and seemed to fix her eyes hard on them, changing her train of thought.

"S-sorry about the cup Naru. Really, I-I'm sorry about everything lately. I know it has taken a toll on you, taking care of me for free and all. I-I really…" She stopped and a small smile ticked at her lip. " I just really... appreciate it."

Oliver considered her appreciation for a moment, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. His plastic eyes set hard and doubtful on her face. Oliver was indeed not a giving man. Charity for the needy – he could do. But charity for the uneedy? Well, that just didn't suit his style.

He tried to play back his smirk, but it ended up in a scowl.

"Who said it was for free?"

Silence filled the gap between the two and it hovered over Mai's confused expression for what almost seemed like a century.

Her eyebrows furrowed, and opened her mouth to question the meaning, but her words were immediately drowned out by a new appearance within the building.

Lin and Eugene burst threw the door, causing them to jump at the sudden disruption. Though mostly the abnoxious noise was on Eugene because he couldn't stop barking at the new presence among Oliver's apartment.

Mai quickly dusted off her hands and the glass fell from her palms like they were porcelain. But as the brunette noticed Lin's arrival, she screamed him a hello, and dug her fingers into the inky colored dog beside him.

"Lin! Is this your dog?!" She gaped, scratching her fingers behind the dogs ear excitedly. But she payed Lin no mind, because her eyes caught the collar underneath the animals fur.

Mai's thumb traced the graved marking like it was the most terrifying thing you could hold.

"Naru… You named your dog after your _brother_?"

He had a hard time not rolling his eyes. _As if he was that pathetic._ He quickly exchanged a conversation between Lin about tomorrow's morning schedule and turned his attention back to Mai.

"No, Mai. I didn't."

She just gave him this empty stare. The kind of stare that always let the narcissist know that she was in a stage of complete and utter confusion.

Oliver sighed and signaled for Lin to explain. And that's exactly what he did.

"Mai, this dog was sent by Noll's father. He has been used on many experiments involving paranormal… One of them is possession."

"Possession!?" She gasped.

"Yes…" He cleared his throat. "Eugene and Oliver had exchanged many conversations. Noll's brother asked him for a favor and this happened to be one of them."

Mai blinked. "So you're telling me that…" she mumbled, cocking her head one way. "That Eugene possesses this dog?"

He nodded. "Precisely. Though he only possesses them on cases. Right now, it is just a normal dog.."

"But why would he do such a thing as… _Possessing_?"

Naru decided to intervene. "That is personal information that you needn't involve yourself in," he said, voice like thread and needle cutting into her skin.

It seemed Mai got the memo and kept her mouth shut tight. Though as she tangled her fingers into the dogs fur, her silence didn't last long. Mai got this curious expression on her face that Oliver couldn't determine whether it was absolute wonderment, or absolute terror.

"N-Naru?" She mumbled, but didn't wait for an answer. "Do you start…"

"Start what, _Mai_?" He probed.

She gulped. "Do you start looking like the person who possesses you?"

 _She must have noticed the dogs eye color._

"Yes," Naru said, voice impassive. "When Gene started possessing this dog, it began to change features in the dog. Such as eye color and the fur. This only happens when it's possessed by a stronger source. My brother being far from the average ghost, has been able to change the dogs features unwillingly."

There was little breaths exchanged as Mai stared deep into the sapphire eyes of the dog named Eugene.

"So your… Eye color starts to change?" She whispered meekly.

He had a hard time not rolling his eyes. _Didn't he just explain that?_

But instead his eyes narrowed and he fixed her with a curious stare. "Is there something concerning you with the dog, Mai?"

But the girl said nothing. He stared at her profile and noticed her eyes were wider than usual. _Was she afraid of something?_

But if she was, the girl never said anything.

Mai gathered on her feet, mumbled something that sounded like an excuse to go to the bathroom, and faded along the shadows of his apartment.

She left him there, curiosity churning his mind while sunset ascended on the building, morphing his skin into orange and purple hues.

 _What was she hiding?_


End file.
